letting go
by sekangel7
Summary: Going on is easier said than done when the remaining crew in Rio are suffering from the grief of losing one of their own after a heist gone wrong. They should be out right livid with themselves for allowing Ghost to get the opening he needed to betray them. Trying to get past that brings them together with the Torretto crew and learning more about the cold blonde. MPREG
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Takers doesn't belong to me.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Jake was devastated.

They had managed to secure an ambulance once stepping out of the Roosevelt Hotel. He wanted to reassure A.J that everything was going to be alright but the way that things looked, he couldn't get his hopes up. Jesse was busy holding his hand and whispering tiny words of encouragement to the young blonde but the way Jake saw it, there was no way that someone was that pale. Eying the two leaders up front, he wondered if it was worth it to find someone who would be able to help A.J in time and stay away from the law at the same time.

He shook his head.

They should have never trusted Ghost. He was the reason that they were in this predicament and no matter how many times he went through the scenarios in his head, he knew the only one responsible for this was the man who had planned his revenge in the first place.

"He okay?"

He glanced up front to Gordon who even though he was acting calm, it was the kind of calm that they knew by now that he was faking. He was trying to remain that way for them because he didn't want anyone panicking. Not his brother Jesse who kept trying to tell A.J that he was going to be okay and not Jake. Most of all, he figured that Gordon was trying to put up a front for John who was all but colliding with other vehicles into traffic.

"I don't think it would be good to lie," he trailed off seeing Jesse try to get A.J to keep his eyes on him.

"Where are we going?"

John glanced at him through the rear view mirror before making a sharp turn and quickly pulling up into a raggedy looking house. By the look on Gordon's face, it was evident that he wanted nothing more than to put his foot down but A.J's sudden plummet in health was probably holding him back. Instead he exited the ambulance just as Rahway made his way to the door. Jake didn't want to think more badly about the situation than he already had but seeing the woman that greeted them, he saw that she was more than wary of their blonde haired pal. After a few words and a slap that seemed to all but anger their leader, Jake saw that Rahway just shrugged it off before coming in with a few more words. She seemed pissed and not the ex sort of pissed but after what seemed like a long silent battle between the two, she marched right over and entered through the back of the ambulance.

Moving past Jesse to seat herself, she used a practice hand to see what kind of damage she was looking at. Rahway watched with a critical eye and arms crossed as though the thought of her coming back to smack him silly was something she would certainly do again and yet Jake couldn't help but be grateful that someone was taking the time to help his best friend despite some sort of disagreement.

"This is bad Bri. I don't think we have any supplies that would help. He's septic and he could very well die if he doesn't within the next hour. It's just, he lost a lot a blood and if the bullet is still in there, then he will be infected. He just doesn't look good at all," she stated as though this was something he should have known.

"Well if you had the supplies, could he make it?" John calmly asked.

She glared at him before mustering a long lingering sigh.

"You know very well the answer to that!" she went back to trying to patch the young man up the best she could but not before adding, "This isn't a gunshot wound to the appendages, it's one to the gut and something that requires surgery."

"I know Mia. I don't think he would survive surgery anyways," he added and it was Mia's turn to give a sympathetic look.

"I don't know why you're back here trying to do all this. Even in a hospital the chances aren't great and he is plummeting fast. I say you don't even have an hour."

Jake closed his eyes as the new washed over him. A.J who he had known for a while, the young man that was always a stable presence in his life and someone he knew he could always count on even when the going got rough. The world was cruel to take away such a spirited person and he didn't know what he would do when he actually died. Since the day they had met it had been a special connection between them. He didn't know a world without A.J and he didn't want to have to go through it but from the way the lady Mia was talking, it looked like he was gonna have to.

"If we got him to the hospital right now, would he survive the night at least?"

It would make him better to think they did everything humanly possible for his friend instead of sitting around and waiting for him to die. He took a gun shot to the gut and they got the hell out of dodge, it didn't explain what was happening now because weren't they something you could have days before you died? It didn't seem the case here and seeing the young woman in front of him brush the blonde's hair back as she readied an I.V anyways, he didn't know how to thank her for all she was trying to do just to keep him from dying right now.

"He's probably not going to survive the trip over there."

Mia wasn't looking at him but when she answered him, he saw a lingering sadness that suggested that she knew what he felt and that she had been through this before. Nodding, he tried to fight the wave of emotions that were surfacing now that his young friend didn't have a chance. He wanted to cry or scream. Hell, he wanted to throw something just to let out how unfair this was but Jesse seemed to understand. He turned to the young woman and smiled a little smile of gratitude.

"Thanks," he managed and even though Mia didn't return the smile, she nodded and injected something in the I.V port she explained was for the pain.

A.J didn't deserve to be in pain so it was cool with him.

He paused seeing that Rahway and Gordon were near the other side of the house conversing and seeing their shared look, he knew it was something they were saying without words having to be uttered. After a second he suddenly wanted to slap himself for the thought that came to him.

Jake got that John Rahway was a private man with a past that no one outside of Gordon seemed to understand. He had a coldness that only the man mentioned was able to melt away. He knew John would do anything for the man and was loyal to a fault when it came to him. Jake wanted Lily and him to be like that someday. To tell everything with just one look and to converse with the eyes but it was something that John and Gordon had now that didn't even take them years to perfect, it was like they were soul mates or something.

Which brought him to the one thought that made him shudder.

With that being said, Rahway was still a private person to everyone else and Jake was fine with that. He didn't want to die just to get insight which would probably be little anyways and not something to die over.

He respected that.

Rahway's personal history was his own and everyone left it alone although everyone guessed what it could be. Glancing over again though just to be sure, he wondered if asking about his weight would be an issue because he could have sworn that within the last two months, Rahway got a little pudgy around the middle. Any outsider wouldn't have noticed but what surprised Jake was that Gordon didn't seem to.

Shaking his head again, he turned back to A.J who needed him now more than ever before. A.J who would have defended him without a second thought and the same man that was so full of life. He was talented and at the very same time not boastful about any that he contained. His ideas were always so out of the box crazy they worked and Jake wanted to think it was because A.J had always looked up to Rahway as an older brother. While he knew A.J had a family, he also knew that they weren't into the whole zest of life that A.J took on and looking up to John was something he did because he wanted that bond he never had with the siblings he actually shared blood with.

"You're gonna be okay man, you just have to hang on a while longer," Jake whispered wishing it were true and A.J wasn't shivering from the shock that was setting in or that his lips weren't turning blue from oxygen deprivation.

"You...were...always...a …...terrible...li...liar," A.J attempted with a stutter in between in which he tried to draw enough breath of air to continue.

"Not this time. We're going to the Carribeans and we're going to live a world of luxury, don't you forget it and then we could do whatever heist we want and just crash back here. Ghost isn't part of this anymore. Rahway will kill him. He never did like him and now he caused you to get hurt but you're not gonna die. You can't yet cause you have so much more to live for dude."

A.J looked like he wanted to reply to that but the lack of oxygen was finally getting to him. Jake decided to go on even though he knew it was hopeless, he didn't want A.J to think that he did and Jesse was being reassured too so taking a calming breath he continued.

"You'll be alright brother. We'll learn how to do the finer stuff we could never do while robbing banks. We could get real careers now if we wanted. Playing music is something you always wanted to do and you have the talent for it. We don't care as long as we're all happy. You'll be okay because you have to be. Don't you die on me anytime soon. When we met it was supposed to be an eternity of friendship. Don't you leave me-"

Taking a calming breath, he almost didn't realize when A.J squeezed his hand reassuringly. He wanted to cry at the irony. Here he was trying to reassure his best friend and he was the one being reassured instead. He almost lost it when A.J went unconscious and then stopped breathing altogether. He let a sob slip past and realized that A.J knew all along that he wasn't going to make it. He didn't want anyone to feel bad about it but sitting here now and still holding his best friend's hand in his, he wondered why it was that he always had to be assured that things would be alright.

"What are we gonna do now?" Jake asked and Jesse wished he had the answers.

"You two, go to the airport," John interrupted their haze filled looks to A.J. "Don't bother stopping at the hotel. Just go straight to the airport. We need to go. Rio. Don't stop until you get there and we'll gain contact then."

"Why?" Jake didn't mean for it to sound demanding but he just lost his best friend and Rahway was like a brother to him and he didn't seem to care about his death. It was cold and just so Rahway.

"G said there's nothing left at the hotel. It's gonna be ugly but go and we'll take care of things and follow you."

Jake glowered now. He didn't want to just leave and not leave things undone. What about Ghost? How was he gonna get Lily and why was Rahway suggesting that there was nothing left here? He didn't know but he wasn't stopping before he got his answers and he would've punched the clueless cold hearted blonde if Gordon hadn't been so close.

"Listen to him boys. That was the dispatch. Looks like Ghost wants revenge all around. We lost A.J and we lost the hotel but we ain't losing you two. You understand? We can handle it and then go down to meet you. You dawdle and it's your asses. L.A.P.D ain't gonna take this sitting down, they are gonna want to see someone take the fall and it ain't gonna be you two? Caprice?"

Jake finally nodded.

As he and his brother liberated a car with the help of Rahway, he wondered why the hotel would be a such a loss and realized that Gordon was trying to say it in a way that wouldn't hit home how much they had really lost. Ghost must have gotten Lily and although he really wanted to kill that son of a bitch now, he had a feeling he wasn't going to be able to without falling back in line. He looked up when Rahway rapped on the glass and quickly rolled down the window. He hadn't expected a wad of cash placed in his hands and the look of shock must have shown because Rahway looked uncomfortable. Always did when he did something and someone acknowledged it. They weren't Gordon anyhow.

"Be safe okay? Don't do anything stupid and we'll get back to ya very soon. You're not gonna lose anyone else," he added and Jake had to concede.

Rolling up the window and driving off, he watched as they became smaller in his rearview mirror. Mia was back to chatting with Rahway who looked the same as always and Jake finally got distracted by a huff made from his brother. Turning over to look at him, he didn't expect his brother to huff in plain amusement and raised an eyebrow while focusing on getting them to the airport.

"What's wrong with you Jesse? Finally beginning to crack?"

Jesse shook his head and leaned back before continuing.

"I have all respect for our leaders all around, not Ghost anymore though. That little shit but just glancing at Johnny, I thought he always stayed in shape."

Jake decided to fake ignorance at this point and watched as Jesse continued with another huff of laughter.

"It was always so obvious, the attraction between Johnny and G but I don't think they realize what's going on bro because that right there is either a beer gut or he ain't doing anything about keeping into shape."

"Share with the class what it is you're hammering about," Jake said with a sigh.

"It looks like he has a beer gut or something. All pudgy around the middle and such. If I weren't stupid I would think he went and started binge eating. I coulda sworn two months ago he was all solid muscle though. Could never tell under the suit though and wouldn't have looked with the chance G would kill me."

"Yeah, he is very jealous. Never understand why he never got mad whenever Rahway stopped what he did for A.J whenever he needed him though."

He didn't like thinking about him right now but Jesse understood and nodded his head.

"A.J brought John's protectiveness out and I think G liked that. No matter how cold he could be, he never allowed anything to happen to A.J until now. What are we gonna do now?"

That was a hundred million question and without A.J he didn't know anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Takers doesn't belong to me.

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

Mia didn't like entertaining the blonde for a second time and had thought the first had been enough to prove that she didn't want anything to do with him. Seeing the blood on his jacket, she quickly ushered him and his two friends in without a second hesitation. The blood came from his friend from earlier and the young woman with them seemed to be related to the guy Brian brought with him.

Not Brian, she reminded herself savagely. He wasn't even a cop but was a thief playing a cop that played with her entire family. She should have known something was up but he was so good at what he did and what was more, he had Dom's trust. A feat that said something about the blonde.

"Why is it the more I see you the more I see people with gun shot wounds?"

The blonde just patted the other man's shoulder before coming up to her slowly. He obviously remembered the slap earlier and probably knew that she had no qualms about doing so again.

"I forget your name," She decided to say instead of what she intended. She wasn't cruel. There was a man bleeding and she had to get the bullet out or it would be another friend lost. She was mad but she wasn't heartless anyway.

"John."

"Well John, since you're no longer playing Brian Spilner the gear head or Brian O'Connor the cop, I think it's a little better. A step up actually or a step down depending on where you put it. My brother may have been stealing from trucks but you are the real criminal, just remember that."

She got to work on removing the bullet and sewing the man up and even then she wondered if her brother would have thought this a good idea. The cops were probably onto them by now and with that amount of blood she knew she was going to be getting a great deal of practice with I.V's tonight. Maybe give the woman one too, she thought as an afterthought. She looked like she could use one. Glancing back at John when she was finished sewing the man's wound closed, she quickly bandaged it and headed back over to him.

"What's the game plan?"

"Game plan? I just needed the favor," he moistened his lips and quickly took a seat by the man and she had to keep herself from physically shaking him until he got what she was trying to ask.

Brian the cop and Brian the gear head were both the same warm person with a heart of gold. The same person that wouldn't hesitate to put himself in danger if it kept someone from getting hurt. John was a different matter and she had a hard time reading him. He wasn't the same person as Brian. He didn't have that larger than life smile nor did he seem to have this light that attracted people to him like a beacon. No, Johnny was not Brian, he just pretended to be a sweet caring person but he wasn't underneath. He didn't seem that way anyways. There was only one thought on her mind though.

"Why'd you let my brother go all those years ago?" She wondered aloud.

"You wanted him to go to jail?" John asked from where he was seated.

He had his head on the other man's shoulder and Mia was starting to feel bad about not knowing his name. She quickly readied two and began a line on the sister first seeing she was closest.

"He had a code he lives by, even now I could see it," John started out and Mia nodded understandably. "He's not a bad person and everyone makes mistakes. He paid for it already in Lompoc. Seemed ridiculous to have him go back when he wasn't hurting anybody. He learned his lesson too when Vince got hurt."

"I didn't like that undercover gig of yours Johnny," the other man finally spoke up after a bout of silence. "We saw even less of each other than the time you decided to go to Hawaii without telling anybody."

"You would've gone too," Was John's only reply.

Mia smiled a little.

She missed friendly banter in the house and she missed the team. Even now, she knew that she would give anything to have it back and have it be different. She should have told her brother no. They shouldn't have done those truck jackings. If John was right about one thing, it had been that her brother had definitely paid for a lot of things by going to Lompoc. He changed afterwards though and that was when he began to live for the risks. It cost them Jesse and now everyone she loved was stuck in countries without extradition laws back to the US.

"He took to you, Dom did," She commented as she began hooking up the man to the I.V line next. "He doesn't trust easy but you got past everything and he would have done anything for you. How did you do it? How could you easily pretend like that?"

The man snorted.

"Can't remember a time that Johnny wasn't a manipulative bastard."

"You like him anyways," Mia added for the thing left unsaid and he smiled in agreement.

"I'm Gordon. I don't think John meant to be rude but I don't want you to think that I would purposely leave out introductions like this if I had been in the right mind. That's my sister Naomi. Johnny if you're going to zonk out, be mindful of the hole."

Mia wanted to laugh but straightened up instead and turned to the blonde that did seem to be falling further and further into his shoulder. This was not how she had planned to meet up with him five years later but all things considered, she wanted to start off on the right foot this time and it seemed that he was done lying for the most part anyways.

"I'm gonna head to bed. If you need anything come get me. Uh, John, can I have a word with you please?"

She had debated telling him all this from the beginning but she made no more heads or tails anymore and saw no reason to hide it. Seeing the mussed up hair from just about falling asleep, she did feel a little bit of guilt run through her. She knew it was getting late and he turned to the only one he knew that would help him at this hour. The cops were going to be a problem for any hospital they chose to stop at and had to remain under the radar so she got that. She really did.

"Letty's dead," She began. Not noticing a difference, she continued as though she didn't pause. "She tried to get Dom freed but being undercover probably wasn't her thing after all. She tried because she wanted Dom to come home. I just wanted to let you know that things may be difficult right now but it's not always going to be this way. Maybe you could pass a message if you ever see him?"

"Letty went on an undercover assignment," he finally repeated. "What's the message you wanted me to leave him if I did see him?"

"Just that I love him and there's always a place for him at home."

He nodded and before he started back to the couch, she shot out and grabbed a hold of his arm.

"I haven't always been grateful but thank you for keeping my brother out of jail. I'm sorry I couldn't do more for your other friend."

Something passed through his eyes but before she could even begin to think about what it could be, he nodded as though it wasn't a big deal. She didn't know the real him but knew it wasn't something that would be thrown away. The kid was someone he cared about, he took him to her so he had to be. The other two that left were devastated and she wished she could have saved him for them, if not then for her own piece of mind. The kid seemed to be really good person, reminded her of Jesse. She knew he thought that but was thankful he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he shook her hold off, and gave a nod before heading off back to the couch.

Crossing her arms, she was glad that he shown some emotion the first time he was staying here, even if it was as Brian. Brian may have been the punk that always caused her brother's blood pressure to sky rocket, but he always left them with something to laugh about and it was nice seeing that big for life smile on his face. Not like the cold smiles he gave now.

Brian was full of life and was loving. John didn't know how to be that, their personalities were so different and she wished she knew the fun loving John but a part of her realized she probably met all that she would see of John.

* * *

"We alright brother?"

If Gordon was surprised by the question, it didn't show. The ride to the airport had taken some time and John wouldn't have been surprised to see the news alert showing their faces to everyone in the country but there hadn't been any alerts, only the rehashing of the young woman found dead in the hotel. Then there was Ghost. He was dead and gone but everything was still so fresh. He knew it was only luck that he got there in time to keep Gordon from dying.

"All signs point to it."

He nodded in acknowledgment and turned back to facing the window. He was still dead on his feet even with the amount of sleep he had which was unusual in itself but put it to the whole mess they were barely able to escape. Probably was the stress causing this, he thought. Naomi was sleeping on the other side and he knew she must have been just glad to get out of the country. That was what she wanted in the beginning and why she couldn't get past her habit no matter how many attempts to get clean. He glanced at Gordon who was watching with amusement now and his brow shot up in askance.

"You probably haven't noticed yet but you're getting rather pudgy."

Managing a smile of his own, he ignored him in favor for the flight attendant now explaining the usual about safety if the plane were to crash and all that. He snuck a look out of the corner of his eye and saw that Gordon was still amused. He really seemed to be given this much thought and now that he thought about it, he did gain a little within the last month. Not the month before that though. He honestly had thought he had caught something and barely had anything to put in his stomach that wouldn't come back out. He was glad it seemed to be settling down now though.

"Not like you care either way though."

Seeing Gordon shoot him a surprised glance, a huge smile graced his lips.

"G you'd love me if I were fat, admit it."

"Nope. I got nothing to admit and you better find out what is causing the pudgy little beer belly or you'll be on the couch."

John snorted.

"Can't keep your hands offa me even if you wanted to. I mean come on, you tried and look how well that happened. You seduced me remember?"

Gordon's eyes were mixed with humor and frustration now and seeing this, John's smile turned into a smirk. He didn't even have to hear anything else to know how much he would deny this and it usually turned into something fun.

"I remember it was you that did the seducing. You aren't that innocent little boy that you seem to keep convincing people of."

"Part of my charm."

He dared for Gordon to deny that fact and when he hadn't, he continued to lean his head back until he was against his shoulder and then gingerly wrapped his arms around him. He was still dead tired and after hearing about Letty's death, he felt for Mia. It wasn't like he wanted the girl to die. She wasn't even particularly hostile with him. She wasn't welcoming either but he understood and to hear of her death was a little saddening. After shooting Ghost dead, he had been so relieved when Gordon was up and about even if he was shot because if he had been too late, he didn't think he would have gone on and as much Shakespearean as it was, it was all too true.

"You have no charm," Gordon bantered back. "Just be lucky you're cute although you get any bigger around the middle and someone may think you don't care about your looks anymore."

"Will you love me if I became fat?"

It was something he didn't spend too much thinking about and even now, the gut was just that right now, a little bit of fat that he could deal with. Nothing else was effected and if it turned Gordon into a mushy romantic then there was a plus because the Brit loved to remind him how much he was his.

"I'll love you if you gained two hundred pounds, lost your designer suits, and decided to live in the wild. Just don't do that," he added seeing John's triumphant grin.

"Wouldn't dream of it darling," he drawled, fighting back a laugh. Watching the other man roll his eyes, he leaned in closer and smiled, seeing that Gordon was smiling back. "Just so you know if you gained two hundred pounds, lost your suits, and decided to live in the wild, I'll still love you too."

With that he crashed his lips against Gordon's without worrying who would see them. Most seemed to be asleep anyways and if the stewardess who had been eying his man from the corner of his eyes all this time glared, then it was a bonus for him because Gordon was his and no one else's. Seeming to catch up to what John was doing and why, Gordon deepened the kiss, making a small moan escape from John's mouth. There were so many things that he had wanted to do then but nothing that was appropriate on an airplane. Seeing as how they would soon be out of America and out abroad, he couldn't help but think it would be different.

Gordon seemed to share the same thought on the matter. He started to give little kisses all over his face and while he was a little aggravated by not being able to do more, he calmly laid his head back onto Gordon's shoulder with a satisfied grin anyways. This was a promise of a future of a lifetime and he wasn't going to lose the chance. Gordon had to have thought the same thing.

"Sleep would be wise right now. We have time and you aren't very alert right now," he added.

John didn't answer him and instead snuggled for the long ride. He didn't have to. Whatever was passed had been understood and closing his eyes, he trusted the man with the rest.


End file.
